Improvement in machine-guns



F. L. BAILEY.

MACHINE-GUN. No 173 751 Patented Feb. 22,1876.

' WHY MES ii: LI. 3 Km-ML, &. mm

N-PE\'ERS. PNOTO-LITNDGRAPHER. WASNINGYON. D Q

. UNITED STATES PATENT Orrroa:

FORTUNE L. BAILEY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE-GUNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 1 73,75 1, datedFebruary 22, 1876; application filed December 8, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FORTUNE L. BAILEY, of Indianapolis, in the county ofMarion and State of Indiana, have inventeda new and useful Improvementin Machine-Guns, which improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to simplify the firing mechanism ofmachine-guns, so that said mechanism shall not be easily broken ordisordered, and so,'also, that in case of injury thereto it may bereadily removed for repair or renewal, and quickly replaced by duplicateparts, if required, even in action, effectually avoiding thereby apermanent disabling of the gun because of accident to this portion ofits mechanism. It consists in the use of a pair of spring-actuatedhammers, secured to the fixed casin g of the gun,'so as to be readilydetached therefrom, and which are superimposed, so as that each maystrike the same point, and which are cooked and'released by means of aseries of spiral cams formed about the rear end of the revolving shaftwhich carries the barrels, or upon a drum secured thereon, said camsbeing so arranged with reference to the barrels as that the hammersshall be alternately cocked as each barrel'approachesthe line of sight,and shall be released to explode the cartridge the instant the barrel isin line for firing, the movement of cooking and releasing each hammerbeing repeated on the approach of every alternate barrel.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of myimproved gun duly mounted; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal verticalsection thereof Fig. 3, a detached view in elevation of the rear end ofthe rotating shaft, illustrating the rotating cams operating thehammers, and, also, the drum carrying the cartridge-belt. Fig. 4 is abottom view of the hammers and case, with that portion of the caseinclosingthe springs cut away in section; and Fig. 5 is a verticaltransverse section of the hammer-case and hammers in a line through thecocking-pin of the upper hammer.

A is the gun-carriage, constructed and mounted in the usual manner. 0Gis a horizontal frame, supported and'swung in suitaole bearings uponthe carriage A by means of the usual trunnions a a; D, theelevatingscrew, by means whereof the gun is sighted;

G C, a casing secured to the rear portion of barrels, the othersufficiently far back to support the rear ends. The barrels pass throughcircular apertures in the flanges G G, and have free longitudinal playtherein, and each is fitted with a feather or key, W, engaging a slot inthe rim of the encircling aperture, to prevent the frame from turningupon its axis. A third flange, F, formed on the shaft E in the rear ofthe second flange G, serves as a breech-block, to support the base ofthe car-- tridges when the barrels are loaded and pressed bacli'againstit, ready for firing.

Alongitudinalreciprocatingmovementisiim parted to each barrel, when theshaft E revolves, by means of a continuous cam rib or guide, K, (seeFig. 2,) formed upon the inner face of the inclosing casing 0 so as toproject therefrom inwardly around its entire circumference and engageanotch, 0, formed in a lug or extension of the feather W, projectingfrom each barrel. (See Fig. 2.) This fixed guide rib or cam K is made tofollow such inclined and parallel lines around the inner cir cumferenceof the casing as that each barrel, in revolving about the shaft, will,as it approaches the highest point, be carried back toward thebreech-flange F, and, after having passed the central point in line overthe shaft E, will gradually recede from the flange a distance exceedingthe length of the cartridge to be used.

The butt-ends of the barrels are left open, and are each bored out toform a chamber for the reception of a metallic cartridge, fittingclosely therein. The cartridges Q Q are supplied to the gun by means ofa belt, L, by

riphery of the drum E on the shaft E.

' the time the barrel has attained its position in line for firing; butas the barrel continues its revolution about the "axis of the shaftafter being fired, it is gradually withdrawn from the emptycartridge-case, which remains upon the belt. Thebelt may be madeendless, and

loaded cartridges substituted for the empty shells as fast as they passdown from the drum; or the belt may be made in sections, and a sectionof loaded cartridges be hooked or otherwise fastened upon one sidewhenever a section of the empty shells is removed from the other.

The cartridges are exploded, as the barrels attain the proper positionfor firing, by means of two sliding reciprocating superimposed hammers,NN, secured within a case, J, with in the gun-casing U, in line over therear portion of the shaft E, the shaft being enlarged at this point toconstitute a drum, E, which shall carry cams upon its circumference, bymeans whereof the two hammers are alternately cooked and released.

These hammers consist each of a plate or bar, the two being arranged toslide longitudinally, one over the other, in parallel ways formed in theinclosing-caseJ. (See Fig. 5.) The lower plate N is slotted centrallyand longitudinally, and a lug or cocking-pin, m,

projects through it from the bottom of the upper plate N. A similar lugor pin, a, projects downward from the front end of the lower plate, thetwo pins being left to project an equal distance beyond the bottom faceof said lower plate. (See Fig. 2.)

Loose firing pins R 1% are fitted in the flange F to play through itopposite each gunbarrel, and the front ends of the hammers strike thesepins when brought in range therewith and released. The rear end of eachhammer engages with a powerful spring, S, fixed in the case J, whichoperates to carry the hammer forward against the firing-pin in linetherewith.

The hammers N N are alternately forced back or cocked, and the springsthereby retracted and compressed, by means of a double set of spiralcams, 3 3 formed upon the pe- See Figs. 2 and 3.) The hammers are soarran ged and fixed with reference to the revolving cams y y as thattheir projecting cocking-pins m m shall engage said cams. The pitch ofthe cams yis so-determined and the length and position of eachsoadjusted as that at the moment one hammer is released to strike thefiring-pin the other will be already partially cocked.

The two hammers are thus made to strike al ternately upon thefiring-pins as each is brought into proper position. As the cams,firing-pins, cartridges, and gun-barrels all revolve in unison upon acommon shaft, the action of the cams in producing a blow of the hammerto explode the cartridge must, necessarily, be fixed and invariable,occurring always at the precise moment when the barrel has embraced andcovered the cartridge and reached the proper line for firing.

The case inclosing the hammers is made separate from the gun-casing,being confined therein by secure fastenings, which admit, however, ofready detachment for-the purpose of removing the hammers. If eitherhammer should break or become disabled in action, a duplicate may bequickly substituted therefor. The barrels H H, cams y y, and firing-pinsR R admit also of ready detachment and replacement, so that damage toany working part of the gun admits of prompt repair by the substitutionof a'duplicate part, or by the removal and repair of the affected part.

The shaft E is made to revolve by means of a crank, U, Fig. 1, fixedeither in the rear end thereof or upon a side shaft carrying a spurwheelmeshing into a beveLwheel, T, at the rear end of the cam-drum E (SeeFigs. 2 and 3.)

The revolution of the shaft E, bringing each gun-barrel successivelyinto position for firing, carries it back over a cartridge, which isbrought into line therefor by means of the belt L passing over the drumE At the same time it forces back one of the hammers N until, at thevery instant the barrel reaches its proper alignment with the sights ofthe gun, and the cartridge is completely inclosed and forced back forsupport against the breech flange F, said hammer,'passing the end of thecamp, is released and forced by the spring with a violent blow againsttheloose firingpin R, to drive it against the cartridge and cause itsexplosion. So soon, however, as the hammer is thus released, itscocking-pin m is engaged by the cam next approaching,

which gradually forces it back again, so that it may repeat its .blow.By the use of the twin hammers and double cams, the hammers may becooked in turn, and the firing of the barrels maintained thereby insuccession by means of spiral cams, which have an easy pitch, so thattheir movements in cocking and releasing the hammers are performedsmoothly and without strain.

A single hammer, N, may be employed in the stead of the twin hammers NN, to be cooked and released by a single series of cams, 3 so as to fireeach barrel in turn, and I contemplate the use of a single hammer,substantially in manner as described; but in such case the cams wouldneed boot a rapid pitch, and the movement be more or less violent.

All the movements of this my improved gun in loading, firing, and.removing the empty cartridge-shells from the barrels are producedautomatically, with regularity, precision, and great rapidity, by thesimple revolution of the shaft E, and may be thereby continued withoutcessation indefinitely, or until the barrels become overheated.

I claim as my invention 1. Detachable spring actuated reciprocatinghammers N N, secured to the fixed casing of a machine-gun, and combinedwith lts revolving barrels and shaft, and with spiral cams formed uponsaid shaft, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. Loose firing-pins R R, combined with the revolving flange F, shaft E,and stationary reciprocating hammers N N of a machinegun, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein set forth.

FORTUNE L. BAILEY.

In the presence of (3. P. JAcoBs, WALTER V. LIPPINOOTT.

